Chapter 173: Ability Showdown (2)

Episode 173

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of Alopsky relentlessly pounding on their top tower seemed to echo in their ears.

Juan, zoomed in on the minimap, quickly calculated in his mind.

‘The dragon will spawn soon, and by the time we kill it, the tower will be gone.’

Seeing the tower’s durability rapidly depleting, it seemed unlikely that it would hold until the team fight.

‘…There’s no other choice.’

But there was no alternative.

They were already gathered at the dragon pit for the team fight, and they had to secure the dragon no matter what.

“Ignore the tower and focus on the team fight! We’ll get the dragon next time!”

Juan, knowing that victory in the team fight was paramount, reminded his Blue Team members.

“Think about it. Without Alopsky, the Red Team is pathetically weak! If we engage in a team fight, victory is guaranteed!”

Alopsky was the Red Team’s most dangerous element.

With him, the Red Team was a force to be reckoned with, but without him, their strength was nothing to fear.

– But the enemy isn’t approaching. They’re staying far away.

Chano’s words made Juan look towards the distance.

He saw the four Red Team members loitering at the bottom of the dragon pit, cautiously observing the situation.

“…Of course. They don’t want to fight.”

They were hoping Alopsky would continue pushing the top lane, keeping the Blue Team distracted and disorganized.

Juan had no intention of falling for their strategy.

“Attack the dragon! They’ll be forced to approach.”

At Juan’s command, Gian, closest to the dragon pit, looked at the slumbering beast.

A colossal dragon, curled up in slumber…

Larger than any monster he’d ever seen, Gian couldn’t help but hesitate.

“What are you waiting for?! Attack it!”

Juan’s urging left Gian with no choice but to strike.

He swung his sword at the dragon, and

**Rooooar!!**

With a deafening roar, the dragon unfurled its massive form, its wings beating furiously.

With its wings fully spread, it seemed even more gigantic than before.

– Holy crap…!

– It’s enormous!

– Did they pull a dragon straight from a demon world dungeon…?

Everyone gasped in awe at the dragon’s imposing presence.

The dragon’s maw opened wide, unleashing a torrent of flames towards Gian.

**Boom!**

– Argh!

Gian narrowly dodged the attack, leaping to the side. He stared at the spot where he had been standing moments before.

Engulfed in flames… the ground itself was scorched and dented, a testament to the breath’s devastating power.

‘It’s incredibly strong!’

Even with hunter handcuffs restraining its limbs, the dragon’s power was terrifying.

The thought that they might be wiped out by the dragon before even facing the Red Team flashed through Gian’s mind.

* * *

[They’ve finally engaged the dragon!]

[As expected, the Blue Team, eager for a team fight, has initiated the attack.]

[Look at Gian’s expression. He seems quite surprised by the power of the dragon’s breath.]

[Hahaha… It’s understandable.]

Daniel chuckled and continued.

[They actually captured a dragon from a demon world dungeon, level 30 or higher, and placed it in the arena.]

[As far as I know, dragons don’t appear as bosses until the early level 30 dungeons, right?]

[That’s right.]

For reference, when the demon world dungeon level exceeded 30, even Major Clans formed raid teams of over 20 members, including their aces.

The fact that a boss from such a high-level dungeon was present in the arena meant that its breath, even with Mana-suppressing handcuffs, was incredibly powerful.

[If they get hit by that breath at their current level, they’ll be instantly crippled.]

[I can’t wait to see how this team fight unfolds with such a powerful dragon in play! It’s going to be incredible!]

Thomas’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he continued the commentary, glued to the screen.

* * *

– Enemy turret destroyed.

As the system notification appeared on the helmets of all the Red Team members,

– The Blue Team is attacking the dragon!

Kim Jinsung looked towards the dragon pit at his ally’s report.

Through the ward he had strategically placed, he saw the entire Blue Team engaging the dragon.

“…They’re trying to bait us into a team fight. Stay close by, but don’t engage. I’ll join you shortly.”

Kim Jinsung finished off the last remaining mini-monster and prepared to use Teleport.

He knew the Blue Team was trying to lure him out by attacking the dragon.

But he had no choice.

‘We can’t just let them take the dragon, and that means we have to fight.’

And to fight, Kim Jinsung, who was practically half of the Red Team’s strength, had to be present.

– No, don’t come.

A voice suddenly stopped Kim Jinsung in his tracks.

– I’ll try to hold them off. You keep pushing the top lane.

The Red Team member, Hans from Team 5, started gathering Mana, his hands clasped together, facing the dragon pit.

‘Could it be…?’

Kim Jinsung looked surprised, and then

a giant green sphere formed in front of Hans’s palms.

The sphere shot forward the moment it was complete.

**Thud!**

The sound of a dense liquid mass hitting the ground echoed near the Blue Team members.

– …Huh?

– What’s that?

The entire Blue Team looked towards the source of the sound in surprise.

A wide green swamp, formed where the sphere had landed, covered the ground beneath them.

System notifications appeared on their helmet screens.

– You have been ‘Poisoned’.

– You are continuously losing HP due to the ‘Poison’ effect.

– Your movement speed has been reduced.

“……!”

Juan’s eyes widened.

Poisoned out of nowhere?

– Damn it…!

– Breath attack! Watch out!

– Shit!

The poison was bad enough, but the reduced movement speed was even more detrimental, especially while they were fighting the dragon with all their might.

It seemed like the green swamp covering the area around the dragon pit was the cause.

“Everyone get out of the swamp!”

Juan immediately gave the order and turned to run out of the swamp himself.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on the Red Team members below.

‘Which bastard used their ability?’

He didn’t even need to look for the culprit who had fired the green sphere.

Hans was already forming another green sphere, his hands clasped together.

– If I attack again, I’ll only have enough Mana for one more shot.

Hans said to the Red Team as he completed the sphere.

– But this second ‘Poison Orb’ should be enough to disrupt the Blue Team’s dragon hunt.

He fired the second Poison Orb.

**Thud!** The ground above the dragon pit turned into a green swamp again.

The Blue Team members, who had just escaped to that area, scattered in panic.

– That’s enough. The poison swamp lasts for about a minute, so they won’t even think about attacking the dragon until then.

Hans said, looking at Kim Jinsung.

– You keep pushing the top lane. You can easily destroy the second tower in a minute, right?

Kim Jinsung looked at Hans silently, then nodded and started running towards the enemy top lane.

“…Just in case, the rest of you stay together.”

He gave the order and continued killing mini-monsters, then spoke again after a while.

“Thank you, Hans.”

Hans chuckled and replied,

– Don’t mention it. I should be thanking you.

“…?”

– You were right. We have to do our best in the present. When will I, the newbie from Team 5, ever get another opportunity like this, a showcase where everyone is watching?

Hans started pouring out his honest feelings.

– If I don’t perform well now, the Triunfo executives will only focus on Juan and Luca. Oh, and you too, I guess.

Who knows? Maybe if I perform well this time, I can become a top prospect like Juan and Luca.

Kim Jinsung nodded.

Hans had revealed and used his ‘Poison Orb’ ability, not to save it as a last resort, but to take a step up within Triunfo.

“One thing’s for sure, if our team wins, you’re guaranteed at least third place until the second round.”

– Ah… Really?

Hans grinned at Kim Jinsung’s words.

But it wasn’t a lie.

If the Red Team won, the scores of all five members would naturally increase.

Then Hans, who had a much higher score in the first round, would be guaranteed a spot in the top three, surpassing the top three members of the Blue Team.

“Of course, if the other team members use their ‘abilities’ and perform even better, things might change…”

Kim Jinsung trailed off, emphasizing the word ‘abilities’ with a suggestive tone.

None of the team members misunderstood his meaning.

They all looked contemplative.

‘Alopsky is right…’

‘One thing’s for sure, if this continues, only Alopsky and Hans will score points for the Red Team.’

The Red Team members were lost in thought, when

**Slash!**

“Argh!”

Hans’s sudden scream made everyone turn their heads.

Hans was staggering back, seemingly in pain.

The one who had attacked him was…

‘Gian?’

Gian, who seemed to have just swung his sword, was standing in the middle of the four Red Team members, looking at them.

– What the?!

– How did he get here?

– Get him!

The Red Team instinctively drew their weapons and charged towards Gian.

Three of them, except for Hans, who was closest to Gian, swung their weapons.

But,

“!”

“Huh?”

Their weapons only cut through the air.

The Red Team members looked around, trying to find Gian, who had disappeared.

“He’s already gone.”

Kim Jinsung’s voice reached them.

“He’s climbing the wall back to the Blue Team’s side.”

– Climbing… the wall?

“Yes.”

Kim Jinsung could clearly see Gian.

He was using the ‘Constant Surroundings Check’ skill, which allowed him to see the entire arena.

“He’s definitely climbing the wall.”

He could see Gian, who had turned transparent, freely passing through the wall.

He thought to himself,

‘Gian used his unique ability too.’